The alternative is horrific. They put a bunch of sheep in a fully enclosed cage and completely submerge the ENTIRE thing completely under the water/dip solution.
The issue is that this way they keep their heads above the liquid and any parasites in the head can spread back into the body. The forced dipping is rough but more effective.
Can confirm, given a lot of homeless cats and dogs flea baths. They run for the head above water. Honestly I would start nitpicking them with my fingernails at that point, so I didn't have to freak the poor thing out with a full baptism.
I definitely fully dramatic Baptist style dunked my childhood dog when cleaning her back in the day. Maybe she was just a chill dog but this is the first time it's ever occured to me that I should feel bad.
Honestly, most of them are pretty resilient and can probably handle it. Times I did have to do something unpleasant, they didn't really hold it against me for very long, they're usually over it pretty fast and back to eating up all of the care and attention they'd been lacking up until that point.
I remember someone on Reddit getting really upset by the concept of shelters fixing kittens younger vs older, and I told them they handle it way better than you'd think. As kittens, day 2 and they're back to bouncing around. As a full grown cat they'd be more sore for longer. The faster they can get rehomed the better, waiting to fix means waiting to place, and they would much rather be in a real home than a shelter cubicle.
But I did try to be gentle with the scared babies. Freaky environment, now I'm getting dunked, wth is going on
Your dog already knew you and your home and that they were safe 🫶🏻
She was a hound about two thirds my size at the time so she definitely could have made her displeasure known. She also ate broken glass (got into fridge, knocked down can of salsa, ate can, including glass, caught on camera, kept at the vet for like a week) at one point and was fine so like it's entirely possible she was immune to pain.
Something that may help you if you give any future baths, I always start by rinsing the head first to get fleas to move downward then I do the neck. Then, before even getting the rest of the body wet, I wash their neck with an excess of flea shampoo or dawn to prevent them from moving back up. Then, go back to the bath as normal and manually comb off the stragglers who stayed above the neck
Dog trainer was said you start with a 'shampoo necklace'. First thing with a ring of shampoo around the animals neck to deter fleas and ticks from running to the head.
I always made a ring of flea soap higher up on their necks, did the whole body and then used pet shampoo on their heads, or dawn dish soap if they were badly infested.
I use a sponge to dab a little onto their heads while keeping it out of their eyes. Once I get them wrapped up and partially dry, l will wrap them on my lap on a dry towel and pick the dead/dying fleas off with tweezers.
We're talking about sheep. A species that is genetically suicidal. The only trauma they'll feel is the realisation that they didn't actually die. That's if they even realise anything at all, because they are also so stupid you could measure their thoughts per day and not even use all of your fingers.
This is not to clean the sheep it’s to get rid of parasites that can irritate the sheep and cause a lower quality of wool. Imagine it like shampoo for lice.
I've read something that might alleviate your concerns. Allegedly this frightens the sheep on the first go, maybe a couple times after that too, but they pick up on how they aren't itchy after the bath, and visibly try to get dunked when it's time for the next splash.
The issue with not completely submerging them is any parasites on their head can survive and re-infest the rest of the fleece. This is a little more humane but also a little less effective
This seems like a much more humane application than others I’ve seen. There’s one where they lock a couple dozen in a cage that’s barely big enough for them to move with the top just barely above their heads, then they slowly drop the whole cage in to a pool of the liquid until they’re fully submerged, and then hold them there for like 60 seconds before slowly raising it back up.
If they don’t, they will cough the inhaled water out when the cage goes back up. That’s they time it at 60 seconds, really hard to suffocate so quickly.
It's definitely more like 5-10 seconds. But I get it, it does feel like a loooong time for an animal to be underwater. 60 seconds would definitely kill a panicked sheep or cow. It's called a plunge dip!
I have friends who fill super soakers with ivermectin and they just shoot their cows and horses. Mostly for fun, but apparently it works. I imagine it wouldn't work on a sheep though because of their wooly coat
Its definitely because they have to dry out, I think this is more trying to clean their skin deep under the wool than cleaning the wool itself, the wool will get cleaned after its been sheared off anyway.
It's a weird angle of an animated old-school shoe being dipped in turpentine. From a movie called Who Killed Roger Rabbit, where the "toon" world collided with the real world.
Its definitely because it has to dry out, I think this is more trying to clean the sides of the tank than cleaning the sheep themselves, the sheep will get cleaned before being sheared anyway.
For sure. They use the sheep to clean the tank since wool is an excellent scrubbing material, and since they move through it under their own power, eliminating the need for hours of man powered elbow grease.
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's an anti-parasite bath and not to clean them. You can see they make them stay in for a minute or so probably because that's the amount of time the manufacturer recommends they stay submerged.
wool will get cleaned after its been sheared off anyway
You get paid less for dirty wool. I am also not sure whether it is easier to clean wool after it has been sheared (without loss in quality) versus washing the sheep.
In any case, a quick wash is common from what I have seen. Wool from legs, tail and underbelly often get rejected or get a lower quality classification due to being dirty or having urine burns.
my knowledge only comes from clarksons farm but sheep wool is extremely unprofitable. In the show just shearing the wool was more expensive than revenue from the wool. The only profitable aspect is the meat.
Yea I don’t think they care so much if the sheep are clean in the traditional sense. More likely they just need to be sterilized from parasites.
The wool will get cleaned/bleached after being shaved, if that’s their purpose.
I'm sorry I've exasperated you with my ignorance regarding sheep bathing. I've obviously been living under a rock for years in order to have such little knowledge on concepts so commonly explained to the general public.
They aren’t getting “cleaned” they’re getting “dipped” in anti-parasitic solution. Otherwise known as “sheep dip”. Usually it’s a long trough they walk/swim through. The circuit is just to give them time to absorb the dip.
I don't think this is to clean the sheep. From what I've seen in similar videos they're getting treated for parasitic flies that lay eggs in open wounds, and lice.
As a dog groomer this is what I think people imagine a grooming salon has and can't understand why it can take up to 3-4 hrs for grooming. I have always joked that we don't have a conveyor belt/washing machine we send the dogs through
This video made me lol, I'm totally showing it to my co-workers ❤️
Automatic dog washing machines do exist. I doubt they are as good as a hand washing.. .but I'm also okay with washing my own dog vs taking her to a groomer.
https://youtu.be/UJ-YpzIkj40
This has nothing todo with cleaning. Its called "Sheep Dipping". Its for treatment with insecticides or targeted flushing in cases of acute maggot infestation.
4000+ upvotes for a sloppy post with false information. Society is fucked.
They’re getting a drench, not a cleaning. This is for parasites and worms. You clean wool AFTER it’s off the sheep… see how that would be easier to do?
They look like they're being drenched, not cleaned.
Drenching is the practise of dipping your sheep in a solution to rid them of parasitic insects and I think worms (I could be wrong about the last point)
A little jump in water like that wont remove the lanelin or whatever else is trapped in their wool. Lanelin is the oil they produce and is necessary to protect their skin and keep moisture out of the fleece, you dont want to get rid of it. If you handle sheep with a thick enough coat of lanelin, you can feel it melt in your hand. It's great for the skin and has a distinct smell.
All the mess collects in a layer on top of the fleece. When you shear sheep, the underside is surprisingly clean, pleasant to feel, and naturally crimped. Washing it by hand after shearing is a massive chore.
They're not being cleaned; this is a method of applying dewormers and antiparasitics. It's simply easier to soak them in diluted water than to apply it one by one.
Pushing them backwards helps the worker avoid getting kicked and sorta hides the fact that they are being pushed off an edge into water so they don’t have time to resist.
Treating for parasites. It’s just to allow time for the solution to get all the way through the wool to the skin to ensure proper treatment. This allows batching them relatively easy instead of one at a time in a straight trough.
I think they meant before they go in the water. The people handling the sheep spin them around once they enter the pen thing, before putting them in the part with the water.
Looks like going butt first also keeps their head above water. The treatment might not be ideal in eyes or ear/nose holes, as well as to not induce panic if their face goes underwater
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u/Weary-Echidna1984 5h ago
Sheep dip - I believe (but may be wrong) that it’s Moore about insecticide and fungicide than getting them clean.